But, for T.W. Browne Middle School principal Jonathan Smith, it's not a theoretical construct. He and his staff are in the midst of the process.

While Browne is still considered a failing campus by state accountability measures, DISD's only campus to miss state marks for five consecutive years, the school has made notable improvement under its young principal. Starting his third year at the West Oak Cliff school, Smith — considered one of the district's bright young administrators — has made gains, academic as well as atmospheric. Test scores are up, seeing double-digit gains in several areas. And the campus, once chaotic, is now under control.

That's a marked change since Smith's arrival, said PTA president Elizabeth Villarreal.

Villarreal has four children who have thrived at the school, even as it struggled. But there were times over the past nine years that she felt uncomfortable on campus— which swirled with disruptions.

"Before he came on board, I was still volunteering here and Townview magnet," Villarreal said. "I couldn't walk the hallways. I could see DPD walking the hallways, but not me. Now, anyone can walk the hallways. It's silent. You know the kids are learning because you hear the teachers teaching.

"As a parent that has been at T.W. Browne for nine years now, from what it was to what it is, it's 100 times 100 percent better."

With a common assessment now given to the four middle schools in the new program — Cary, Boude Storey, O.W. Holmes and Browne — Smith said that he's eager to work together with other campuses to collaborate on best practices.

"With this wonderful setup, we have campuses in the program that have similar strengths and challenges," he said. "And we can talk it out, collaborate and see how we can support our campuses better."

But the focus can't just be on meeting state thresholds on the STAAR test, he said.

This year, the campus has added four new language courses that count for high school credit: French, German, Chinese and American Sign Language. The school has also beefed up courses in engineering and business, Smith said.

"Even though we are responding to intervention over here, we are also responding to achievement," Smith said. "Because, right now, we've got kids who are ready to soar, and we can't hold those students back.

When you get that negative vibe out there about the campus, it makes some parents understandably uncomfortable. We don't want them to feel uncomfortable. Once they walk in the door for the first time, their perception changes."